


Vaticinium Quaeritis

by vulncrasanentur



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gaaaaayyyyyy, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Severitus, Severus Snape Adopts Harry Potter, Severus Snape Pretty Much Has A Heart Attack Every Other Chapter, poc characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 12:25:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11081547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulncrasanentur/pseuds/vulncrasanentur
Summary: Severus Snape awakens one morning to find Lily Potter--the love of his life and the mother of his adoptive son--in his presence nearly eleven years after her death. She does not recall anything after hearing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named cast the Killing Curse, and makes her way to Snape's home after waking up on the shore of a river in her hometown.





	Vaticinium Quaeritis

“Severus.”

“Severus, wake up.” 

He stirred. The voice was quiet but sharp. Whoever was speaking to him -- a woman, it sounded like -- was in a hurry for something. This was strange. Severus rarely dreamed, but when he did they usually held more than just voices. 

A drop of water on his head woke him with a start. He opened his eyes to the ceiling and realized that the voice had not been part of a dream. He would have yelled, had he not been so tired. It didn’t seem like whoever this was was here to attack him; only a fool or a sadist would wake the victim before striking. Truthfully, he was not so much worried for himself as he was for the boy sleeping in the room adjacent to his, who had a knack for getting himself into trouble.

There was a woman sitting on the chair by his bed, dripping wet from her head to her toes. He could only make out fuzzy shapes in the dark, so with a wave of his thin hand a weak light appeared in the corner. As Severus’ eyes adjusted, he began to make out long red hair, a thin frame, and then details like the delicate curve of lips and finally, piercing green eyes. No, this had to have been a dream. A nightmare, even. It was nothing new for the past to haunt the man in his sleep. 

A moment passed before he could completely register the sight that lay before him. When it finally came to him, the man's breath was taken. “Lily,” he said. His voice was broken and quiet, so much so it was a wonder she could even hear him. He would have fainted, had he not been stronger at heart. This was his Lily, Lily Evans (no, Potter), the woman who had given her own life for her son ten years ago, the woman he had devoted his whole life to even before that fateful night. 

Suddenly, she lurched forward, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug as though she did not see the tattoo on his forearm. He sat there, unmoving and stunned beyond belief, hesitant to touch her as he patted her back awkwardly. His mind raced with a million questions, and somewhere inside he sensed that hers was, too. 

“Lily, w-what’s going on…?” he asked. She pulled away from him, holding him at arm’s length. Her eyes, just as earthen as he remembered them, were brimming with tears and full of fear, wonder, and excitement all at once. 

“I was hoping you could tell me that,” she replied. “It happened so suddenly. One moment I saw the green light from You-Know-Who’s wand, and the next I was awoken near the river by the rain. Severus, I’m in Cokeworth. Godric’s Hollow is two hours north.”

Had he gone mad? Had the summer heat caused him to hallucinate? There was no way Lily was here. No magic could bring the dead back to life… or could it? Even if this had happened and she was real, why would she come to him, of all people? He had done a terrible thing to her, and though it had happened years ago, it was an irrevocable act. It must have been a good few minutes before he answered, because her arms fell weakly to her lap and she studied him with knit brows. “I… I don't know…” he said for what seemed like the first time in his life. Her eyes fell. It seemed like he had always had the answer to everything, even life’s toughest questions. It wasn't like she should have expected him to know what was going on; after all, she had died. To Lily, it was still 1981. She didn't know if her son had survived or not. 

“Well… if you can't explain it to me, can you at least help me try to figure it out?” she said. Those words stunned both Lily and Severus; after their friendship was severed in their fifth year, neither had expected to speak to each other again. And until tonight, that had seemed to be what was going to happen. “Severus, I know this is strange… it’s frightening. Everything has changed and I don't even know what year it is, or whether my son is alive. I need you now.” 

The man had not the heart to tell her that ten years had passed since her death, though her son was alive and well and _less than twenty feet away from her_. He had adopted Harry after her death so as to keep him safe, and though he knew that Severus was not his biological father, he had been raised as such. For a split second Severus thought about her question, and then answered, “Yes, okay. I’ll help you,” as though he could have given any other answer. 

Perhaps it was the suddenness of the moment or the shock of it all, but there was no part of Severus that felt the need to begin apologizing for what he had done so long ago. Perhaps words were not enough, and the apology would be proven in due time. 

“You need to sleep,” he said, noticing the exhaustion in her eyes. He brought his feet to the floor and reached for the black t-shirt strewn on the back of the chair. “Here, you take my bed and I’ll sleep on the sofa. No arguments,” he added when she began to protest. “We’ll get this all sorted out in the morning… but for now, sleep.” With another wave of his hand the light was out, but he was sure neither of them would be getting the rest they needed. 

Thoughts drifted in and out of Severus’ head, a new one spurring him wide awake just about every time he began to drift off. Questions that could not be answered, memories that could not be changed, and hopes for the future that were not yet set in stone. But soon the sun rose, and so did Lily. She had always been an early bird, much like himself. She stood by the large bay window which he usually kept covered with dark curtains, staring out into the street. The morning sun cast her in a new light, making her hair sparkle like a fire. It was though an apparition had come to life before him; the dark of night had obstructed his view of her, but now in the full light of day, she was like a Renaissance painting come to life. His heart almost stopped at the sight, and there it hit him that he was truly in Lily’s presence.

Harry was obviously not awake yet, because if he had been, Severus would have awoken to the boy shouting at his father to wake up, because there was a stranger in the house! He decided he would speak with Lily for a moment, help her get her bearings, and then wake the boy and bring him to her. “How did you sleep?” he asked, raising himself up on his elbows. She turned to look at him, a sparkle in her eyes accompanying her smile. 

“Truth be told, I could barely close my eyes. I’ve got so many questions… what year is it? What happened to Voldemort?” She seemed entirely mesmerized by him and all the new knowledge he could give her. Sitting in front of him, Lily made herself comfortable and Severus knew he would not be able to slide past any of her questions. “My Harry… is he alive?” That one struck him the hardest. Thankfully he would not have to tell her that the Dark Lord had succeeded in his task, thanks to her. 

Sitting up straight, the man drew his eyes up to hers and sighed. Not a frustrated sigh, but more of a weary, thankful one. “There is a lot you have missed, and a lot to figure out. I can explain it all to you now, or you could wait, and I could take you to Dumbledore.” 

Her eyebrows raised as though she was surprised to hear that Dumbledore was still alive, and then she shook her head and nodded. “I want you to tell me. I know you’ll be brutally honest, whereas he has a tendency to… sugarcoat things.” 

“Alright,” he replied without a second thought. She was right, after all. “The year is 1991. On the night the Dark Lord came to kill you, he was vanquished.” Lily looked taken aback at his words. If she is surprised now, he thought, she’ll be stunned after this conversation. “It was your son that defeated him. And yes, he is still alive. He will be starting Hogwarts this year, with myself as his Potions teacher.” 

Lily studied him for a good few moments with that gaze that could make a giant feel like an ant. “You, working at Hogwarts?” 

“You act surprised,” he smirked. “Even the greatest sinners are capable of repent.” 

“I am. Nonetheless, I still have more questions. Do you know where Harry is? Is he healthy, safe?” Her eyes pleaded for the answer she wanted to hear, hoping to any deity that neither of them had ever quite believed in, that her boy was alright. 

It was difficult for Severus to tell Lily the truth, in spite of the fact that she would likely be happy to hear it. "Lily...” he hesitated, "Harry is alive. He is strong, and smart--" as he spoke, he noticed the confused way she looked at him. How would he have known all this, after all? "--and has had a stable childhood as of now."

Lily opened her mouth to speak, and then closed in again, her gaze falling to the floor. After some thought, she looked back up at Severus and said, “How do you know these things?” 

There it was. That was the hard part, explaining how he knew so much about the boy from supposedly having never met him. He would not lie to her, no, but he wasn’t going to tell her every little detail just yet. “Dumbledore knows how close we were as children, and he knows how I continued to care for you afterwards. Eventually he and I came to the conclusion that I would protect your son in tribute to you. I adopted Harry shortly after that night and I have raised him ever since.” 

She was silent for a while, taking in everything that he had said. Perhaps it was too much. Severus stood and held out his hand to her. She took it, grip tight and he pulled her up out of the chair. Once again there she was, hugging him. The familiar smell of cloves and lavender permeated the air. Severus smiled and relaxed, his calloused hand coming to rest on her hair. This shared moment was a conversation in itself, nearly sixteen years of companionship held in the palm of his hand. Did this mean she had forgiven him? 

When they parted, Severus cleared his throat and straightened himself up. Before he could speak, Lily's soft voice cut through the silence. “I need to see him, Sev. Does he know--"

He cut her off before she could finish. "Yes. He knows that he is not my son by blood, and he knows that his mother and father loved him and died for him. He has asked me many questions, and I have answered as many as I could. The rest of them, I believe, you could answer."

Just then, he heard the soft _thud_ of the boy's feet hitting the floor in his room. Instinctively he made his way to the source of the noise, certainly not surprised as he sensed Lily following him, however timidly. He held a hand for her to wait there for him, and stood in the open doorway. "You're awake," he greeted with a kind of smile that Lily had never seen from him. "Don't worry about getting dressed just yet, there's someone here I want you to meet. An old friend of mine, and a very special one at that." 

Lily watched as Severus held out a gentle hand and the boy stepped through the threshold, first looking at him and then at the strange, red-headed lady in the hall. She brought a hand to her mouth as her eyes began to well with tears. He looked so much like James, from his tousled black hair to his thin frame. Except for his eyes--they were a direct copy of her own. He was a beautiful boy who looked happy and healthy, and that was all she could ever have asked for. She gathered herself and stopped the tears, looking once at Severus and then back at her son. She wanted to speak, but couldn't make a single sound.

The silence was broken by Severus' low voice. "Harry, this is your mother, Lily."


End file.
